RM3.2bil lost to online scams since 2021
Published on: Monday, August 12, 2024
By:
FMT, Samuel Chua, Sarah Chee
Digital minister Gobind Singh Deo said it was imperative to crack down on cybercrime and protect online users from those aiming to harm others for profit or political gain.
PETALING JAYA: A total of RM3.18 billion has been lost to online scams from 2021 to April 2024, says digital minister Gobind Singh Deo.
Gobind said that while the losses involved 95,837 victims, the actual number could be higher as many people may not have lodged reports after being scammed.
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Speaking at an event here today, Gobind said it was imperative to crack down on cybercrime and protect online users from those aiming to harm others for profit or political gain.
He said a "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approach was needed to tackle these threats comprehensively.
"Continuous collaboration and cooperation between public and private agencies are important in fighting high-tech crimes and upholding the rule of law," he said.
This will strengthen our cybersecurity capabilities and ensure the overall ecosystem is in line with the National Cybersecurity Strategy.
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In February, law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said said the government was working on a legal system that would provide a kill switch to automatically act against fraudulent activities on any online domain or platform.
She said the government is also drafting a new law that will include provisions on the kill switch’s enforcement and enhance the nation’s cybersecurity with more legal protection and clarity.
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Meanwhile, Gobind said the recent amendments to the Personal Data Protection Bill would boost Malaysia’s digital competitiveness by ensuring the secure management of personal data in commercial transactions.
He also said the ministry is planning to establish a data commission to further enhance national data security.
Earlier, Gobind witnessed an MoU signing ceremony involving Axiata, CyberSecurity Malaysia and MDEC to combat cybercrime and enhance cybersecurity.
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